Bellroy Card Sleeve (V2) Review

Using a minimalist wallet takes some sacrifices, but it’s a worthwhile investment for us. Yes, investing in a wallet sounds like a setup for an inevitable, albeit low-hanging, punchline, but we seriously mean it. Freeing our pockets of bulk allows us to walk more comfortably, and that makes a noticeable difference given how much we travel and move from place to place—thick wallets with wads of cash sound amazing, but it’s a chore.

We prefer a minimalist wallet like the Bellroy Card Sleeve (V2). Not only is it slim, with a nifty pull tab that deploys your cards, but its leather-clad construction and tight design give it a premium feel that helps to dull the sting of living with the compromises of a minimalist lifestyle.

The Rundown

The material here is nothing but leather and stitching. We’re not surprised that Bellroy is trying to keep the list of materials down with a minimalist wallet like this. That said, what the second edition of the Card Sleeve lacks in quantity of materials, it more than makes up in quality. The stitching is taught but pronounced for a nice colored accent, and the leather has the thickness and firmness you’d want out of the real thing. For the record, Bellroy uses premium eco-tanned leather.

Based on our extensive experience using other leather-based gear from Bellroy, this should hold up well over the wallet’s lifespan. It’ll get marked up and develop patina in due time—as most leathers do—but that just adds to the wallet’s aesthetics. Our sample already has a few small scratches, though we’re resigned to this inevitability, given how much we whip out our wallets daily.

At the time of writing, the Card Sleeve (V2) is offered in many colorways apart from the Hazelnut we’re reviewing, including Black Ash, Ocean, Teal, and Everglade. There’s also a MIRUM Edition that’s leather-free (it’s a plant-based leather alternative). Keep in mind that the color of the stitching changes depending on which colorway you choose.

The wallet’s layout is simple, but Bellroy did a pretty good job maximizing the available space. There are quick access slots on both sides of the wallet, while there’s a main central slot where most of your cards will reside. All in all, Bellroy quotes a capacity of eight cards, which we packed with one card at the front, seven in the center, and banknotes in the back.

The layout would be symmetrical if not for the leather pull tab used to deploy the card in the central slot. The pull tab is differently colored and has an exposed section showing the leather’s rough side. This allows the pull tab to easily slip along the narrow slit, but seeing the rough side like that gives off a hint of flimsiness on an otherwise premium-feeling wallet. That said, the pull tab held up well throughout testing, so we won’t harp on the matter too much.

While accessibility is quite easy and convenient, whether you’re talking about the cards in the middle or cash at the back, getting the pull tab to reset back down is tricky. It’s not enough to push the cards back inside. We have to fan out the cards slightly to make the rearmost one (the one nearest to the pull tab) really push the pull tab down. It’s not a deal-breaker since, if anything, having the pull tab slightly more raised than intended makes it easier to pull. However, it also draws attention to the leather’s exposed rough side, which doesn’t look as premium.

Packability

What’s there to say about a card-focused minimalist leather wallet’s packability? It fits everywhere you could reasonably want, like your back pocket, a small sling, or the TSA’s luggage bin, and it’s easy to pull out of them. Other than that, though, the Card Sleeve also feels very solid once you load it up with all your cards. It’s satisfyingly well-packaged, like everything fits just the way it’s intended to be.

That’s not to say that your cards and cash are the basis for the Card Sleeve to have structure. In fact, the Card Sleeve is surprisingly well-structured for a slim wallet entirely made of leather. We don’t miss the lack of a metal superstructure like the Trayvax Ascent has. It flexes, sure, but not to the extent that Allett wallets do.

Quick Comparison

Funnily enough, an interesting point of comparison would be Bellroy’s very own Card Pocket. Like the Card Sleeve, it’s also a minimalist wallet focused on cards but has an enclosed half-zip design. It allows you to store loose items, like coins and a few keys, inside without worrying they’ll fall out. The tradeoff? It’s slightly thicker than the Card Sleeve.

More similar to the Card Sleeve is the NOMATIC Wallet. This one further condenses the pull tab concept in a smaller package, eschewing any extra slots and going for a sole central compartment. Is it worth the tradeoff? Maybe, if you’re going all-cards-no-cash and don’t mind missing out on the Bellroy Card Sleeve’s sleeker design and materials.